1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns an extruder apparatus that serves for the production of a product, in particular from the group of expanded starch products or structured protein products by working pressure, friction and possibly heat into a stock being fed in, and displaying a rotatably arranged worm that processes the stock and conveys it to a nozzle head that is arranged at the outlet end of the worm, and displaying at least one nozzle via which the product exits in preferably expanded pieces of product, as well as an interrupter serving for intermittent interruption of the stream of stock and which is provided for cutting off the pieces of product from the stream of stock.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the case of one extruder apparatus of the previously mentioned type disclosed in DE-AS No. 1,122,462 serving for the production of an aerated corn meal product, a hollow stator is mounted in a stator housing. The stator housing has a feed opening via which a coarse-crushed corn meal mixture is supplied to the stator. A rotatable screw in the stator assures the processing and transport of the mixture to the outlet end of the screw. At the mixture discharge end, arranged together ahead or after the outlet nozzles, are knives that work together with the screw and have the task, in conjunction with the force that is exerted by the rotating feed screw, to press the mixture in a radial direction through a space that is provided between the forward face of the stator and the forward face of a rotor facing toward the stator. The knives, which can also serve for cutting off the product, are rigidly arranged on the rotor and rotate together with this latter. One each assembly with motor and gear train is provided for the feed screw and for the rotor. The apparatus is expensive and space-robbing, and unsuitable for many applications.